above: Unidentified poster n.d.

Below: Bulgarian language IWW pamphlet, c. 1917

Beginnings

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was created for one large purpose. IWW members, or as they came to be called, “The Wobblies,” were concerned about unsafe working conditions, poor job security, low wages and other vicissitudes of the industrial age in America. They were also dissatisfied with the AFL’s emphasis on organizing skilled craft workers, rather than the growing mass of unskilled labor. The IWW decided to organize workers within specific industries into one large union that would represent workers throughout the nation, and possibly, from around the world.

Soon, there were IWW Industrial Union Locals among miners in the Southwest, lumberjacks in the Northwest, textile workers in the East, and dockworkers and marine transport workers around the country. IWW organizers such as Vincent St. John and Big Bill Haywood, both veterans of the Western Federation of Miners, began to build the IWW’s membership by enrolling workers in industries not traditionally viewed as worth pursuing by the AFL. The IWW grew from 200 members in 1905 to over 100,000 by 1917.

above: Cartoon from the Industrial Worker, Sept. 14, 1911

Below: Lumber Trust cartoon from the Industrial Worker, April 9, 1917.